Musicians often dream of being discovered through gigs and showcases. That dream eventually became a reality for British singer-songwriter Sarah Grace McLaughlin, best known by her stage name Bishop Briggs. Briggs started her career like any other starry-eyed musician. Growing up in Japan and falling in love with karaoke bars, the singer moved to L.A. to pursue a career in music full-time.
“I think everyone has the perception that the minute you land in Los Angeles you will get signed and someone will discover you as you are coming off the plane.” Briggs recalls.
That was not the case for the songstress. Briggs ended up attending Musicians Institute and she focused all her energy on performing after graduating with an Associate’s Degree in vocal performance. “I tried to write as much as I could, I played shows every couple of nights, wherever I could and wherever I was let in.”
By chance, she was invited by a friend to perform at a songwriter’s roundtable and caught the attention of former A&R representative George Robertson. “George was actually there to see a different artist and luckily he came up to me afterwards,” she says. “He introduced me to two producers and within a month “Wild Horses” was written and got a placement in an Acura commercial for the Super Bowl.”
The song ended up climbing the charts, entering the top 30 on the Billboard Alternative Songs chart and top 13 on the Billboard Twitter Emerging Artist charts. That was when she signed with Island Records.
“It seemed as though they are truly passionate about the artists they work with,” she says. “They are so committed and seem to have a true passionate relationship with all of their artists, so that was a sign that I felt was undeniable about them.”
Through Island, Briggs recently released her debut album Church of Scars on April 20—a project that was two and a half years in the making. The singer is currently touring North America.
Date Signed: 2017
Label: Island Records
Type of Music: Alternative
Management: Kate McLaughlin
Booking: Mike Marquis - Paradigm Agency
Legal: Jodie Shihadeh - The Davis Firm
Publicity: [email protected], [email protected]
Web: bishopbriggs.com
A&R: Jackie Winkler - Island Records
